Swimming pool cover



Feb. 6, 1968 Q A. KOEHLER 3,366,977

SWIMMING POOL COVER Filed March 23, 1967 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent O 3,366,977 SWIMMENG POOL COVER Carl A. Koehler,Fulton, Md. (3564 Bladensburg Road, Brentwood', Md. 20722) Filed Mar.23, 1967, Ser. No. 625,525 7 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE The invention relates to a cover for a swimming pOol for usewhile the pool is full. A oatable member is secured to the underside ofa liquid impervious sheet material which itself is stretched over thepool and anchored at its periphery. The floatable member rests on thesurface of the water and is olf sufficient size to raise the centralpart of the cover to form an arch such that rain water, leaves, etc., donot accumulate on it. The floatable member ideally is inflatable forcompact storage When the cover is not in use.

This invention relates to an improved cover structure for swimming pools.and similar large open containers normally filled with liquid.

Privatelyowned swimming pools have become increasingly popul-ar andthere has been an accompanying demand for covers to cover the swimmingpools when not in use. Swimming pool covers are desirable for a numberof reasons. There is the danger that children or animals maya-ccidentally fall into the pool and dro-wn, particularly when the poolis left unattended. Also, undesirable foreign matter such as leaves,dirt, etc. tend to accumulate in the pool with time.

Various devices have been devised for keeping children and animals awayfrom `swimming pools. Frequently, the pool is surrounded by a fence, butthis has not been entirely effective, particularly with children who areprone to climb over the fence on occasion.

Various types of covering devices have been devised. These include yacombination of a rigid supporting iframe which is first set in placewith the edges resting around the periphery of the swimming pool with atarpaulin or plastic sheet material laid over the frame. Such anarrangement is not entirely satisfactory, since it is not convenient foreveryday use. The rigid yframe member is awkward to handle when puttingthe frame in place or removing it, it is expensive, and is generallyunattractive when not in use and placed at the side of the pool.

Frequently, swimming -pools are simply covered with an impervious sheetmaterial which is anchored about its periphery `at the sides of thepool. The central portion of the cover is unsupported and tends to sagpermitting the accumulation of leaves, dirt and rain water. If the coverremains in place for an extended period of time this becomesunattractive 'and it is diflioult to remove the cover when it is desiredto use the swimming pool Without yallowing the foreign matter, andparticularly the rain water to flow into the pool thus polluting thewater. Frequently, a num-ber of floats are first dropped on the surfaceof the water :before the cover is put in place. The central portion ofthe cover then rests on top of the floats which reduces the sag of thesuspended cover, but there still remain smaller pockets on the coverwhere foreign matter will accumulate.

Still another swimming pool cover has been devised which when in placemakes a tight seal wi-th the surface of the 4water around the peripheryof the pool Iand the area under the central portion of the cover isinflated, the air being entrapped between the surface `of the Water andthe underside of the cover. The cover tends to take on an arched formsuch that rain water, leaves, dirt, etc.

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do not accumulate on the cover, but, instead, are deposited around thepool at the periphery of the cover. Two major difficulties with thistype of cover are that elaborate measures Iare required to secure thecover in place to insure an airtight seal between the surface of theWater and the cover. Secondly, the cover must be periodically checked,since it is easily deflated, and with time, the cover will deflate dueto absorption of air by the water in the pool.

It is therefore -an object of the present invention to provide a poolcover which will not permit unwanted materi-al to accumulate thereonWhile in place.

Another object is to provide a cover which may be easily removed andreplaced in a minimum amount of time.

A still further object of the invention is a pool cover which when notin use may be easily and compactly stored.

A still further object is to provide a swimming pool cover which isarched in position over the pool and will remain arched without the needfor periodic attention.

Briefly, the present invention relates to a swimming pool covercomprising a continuous sheet of flexible liquid impervious materialwhich may -be secured at its periphery around the edges of the swimmingpool and which has integrally secured to the underside of the cover aninflatable airtight pocket or tubular member of suflicient heighth suchthat when inflated it will rest on the surface of the Water in theswimming pool and cause the pool cover to become arched sufliciently toshed yforeign matter including rain waiter which may fall on itsSurface.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE l is a top plan View of a swimming pool cover embodying thepresent invention;

FIGURE 2 is 'a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of -a portion ofFIGURE 2 showing in detail the edge of the cover in position andanchored along the edge of the swimming pool.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a swimming pool is shownincl-uding vertical walls 1 filled with water 2. Along the top of thewalls is a curbing 3 which forms the upper margin of the swimming pool.

The pool cover 4 is made from a flexible sheet material which isimpervious to liquids. Suitable materials include cott-on duck,tarpaulin material and reinforced plastic sheet material. The marginalportion of the cover 4 extends over the curbing of the swimming pool 3Iand terminates in a hemmed portion 5 in which is inserted conveniently areinforcing rod 6 along each peripheral edge of the cover. Each side ofthe cover may contain either a single reinforcing rod or a plurality ofreinforcing rods appropriately placed in the hemmed portion.Aproximately spaced eyelets 7 are located in the pool cover adjacent thehemmed portion and reinforcing rods through which pass individual ropes8 which are secured to stakes 9 anchored outside the curbing 3 of theswimming pool.

Secured to the underside of the pool cover 4 and extending along itslongitudinal axis is an inflatable member 10 the peripheral edges ofwhich are secured to the pool cover in an airtight manner. Theinflatable member must be composed of a flexible material which is waterand air impervious. A valve 11 is secured in the pool cover andcommunicates with the interior of the inflatable member 10, whereby theinflatable member may be inflated by any c-onventional means.Conveniently, the Valve 11 should be designed such that the compressedair may be easily released when it is desired to remove and store thepool cover.

It may be readily observed that upon anchoring the periphery of the poolcover around the edges of the swimming pool and inating the inatable orfloatable member the pool cover 4 assumes an arched position extendingin all directions which serves to maintain the pool cover taut so thatrain water, dirt, leaves, etc. will be shed from the surface of thecover and will be deposited beyond the edges of the cover on the ground.

While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown anddescribed by way of illustration, many modifications are possible bythose skilled in the art. For instance, the iioatable member 10 could becomposed of a solid material having a density less than that of Waterthough the disadvantage in this would be that storage of the cover whennot in use would require more space. The oatable member 10 couldcomprise an inatable tubular member which is secured along its exteriorsurface to the underside of the pool cover instead of the peripheraledges of the iioatable member 10 being secured to the cover. Also, theoatable member could be a plurality of such members appropriately spacedand secured to the cover.

It should be understood that it is intended in the appended claims tocover all such modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope ofthis invention.

What I claim yis:

1. A cover for a filled swimming pool comprising a continuous sheet ofiiexible liquid impervious material having a shape conformingsubstantially to that of the pool with the central portion thereofcovering the surface of the water and peripheral edge thereof extendingbeyond the sidewalls of said pool, means along said peripheral edge ofthe sheet for securing said ycover in place over the swimming pool, andat least one floatable member having a density less than that of waterintegrally secured to and extending below the underside of the sheet toengage the surface of the water, the distance between the lower surfaceof said oatable member and ther top surface of said sheet being suchthat when in position said sheet is maintained in an arched positionwith the peripheral edge at a lower plane than the central portionthereof whereby material falling upon said cover will tend t-o bedeposited beyond the peripheral edge thereof.

2. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidoatable member is integrally secured to the underside surface at atleast one point spaced from the peripheral edge of said sheet.

3. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in c-laim 2 whereinsaid iioatable member comprises an inflatable member secured to thesheet, said inflatable member when inflated being of suiiicient heighthto maintain the sheet in an arched position.

4. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 3 wherein saidinatable member comprises an air impervious material the peripheraledges of which are secured in an airtight manner to the sheet.

5. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 3 wherein saidinliatable member comprises an enclosed tubular member the exteriorsurface of which is secured to the underside of the sheet.

`6. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 3 whereinsaid iniiatable member comprises a valve whereby said inflatable membermay be deflated.

7. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidmeans for securing said cover in place comprises a hem at the peripheraledge of said cover, said hem containing reinforcing rods and a pluralityof eyelets adjacent said reinforcing rods for securing said cover inplace over said swimming pool.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,158,161 11/1962 Knodel 41723,229,309 1/1966 Knodel 4 172 3,313,443 4/1967 Dial et al. 220183,330,118 7/1967 Blais 61-.5 2,211,958 8/1940 Mahaffey 61--0.5 2,580,5551/1952` Kroeger 4-172 2,732,794 2/19-57 White 135-1 2,808,845 10/1957Wood 4-172 2,867,346 1/1959 Champagnat 220--18 2,883,676 4/1959 Kwake4-172 2,964,759 12/1960` Riggs 4-172 3,063,062 11/1962 Logan 4-1723,072,920 1/1963 Yellott 4-172 3,122,985 3/1964 Osborne 52-246 3,144,6658/1964 Meyer 4-172 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. K. ART'IS, Assistant Examiner.

